For the past 15 years, Pelham Memorial High School’s special education class has been raising money to create boxes of Thanksgiving staple foods for families in need throughout Westchester. This year, they were able to collect $1000 to pack enough boxes to feed 12 families here in Pelham.

Teacher and founder of the program Michael Solazzo says, “Holidays can be a tough time for a lot of families, especially those in need which is why we got involved. Thanks to the faculty and staff here we were able to excel in this which is great.”

The money was raised by sending out an email asking all faculty to donate if they want to contribute. They had someone collect the donations in each department and also collected them from hall monitors and security. Donations ranged anywhere from $5-$20 but overall, they were able to surpass their goal.

Solazzo aims to pack even more boxes next year. “We were able to do 12 boxes just from the faculty and staff. Imagine if we got the students and families in on this and by doing so, we can easily double or triple our money raised.”

Once the money was raised, they went down to Manor Market and packed the boxes themselves using the pre-selected items. The students decorate all their boxes, pack them, and then they bring them to Huguenot Church to be distributed.

“It is a great time to be thankful and be kind to others because it makes me feel good,” said senior Lucas Adams.

Solazzo and the rest of the Special Education class are proud of their accomplishment.

Solazzo says, “Overall, it’s a time to be thankful and it always feels really good when someone is kind to you, so it feels even better when you can be kind to someone else.”